A wide variety of flexible graphite laminates are manufactured for use as gaskets for various applications. Some of the laminates contain metal or plastic sheets bonded between two sheets of flexible graphite material. The plastic or metal interlayer is used to increase the strength and ease of handling of the laminate during cutting to form gaskets and to give strength to the gaskets when they are put in place for use. The use of a metal interlayer also improves the resistance of the gasket to blowout and reduces high temperature creep of the gasket when exposed to a high temperature environment. The metal interlayer gaskets are extremely strong; however, cutting the laminate will expose sharp edges which can present a hazard to personnel handling the gasket.
Japanese Patent Application No. 1983-248,785 discloses gasket materials in which a metal net is disposed and sealed within two sheets of flexible graphite. The metal net is employed as a reinforcing material since graphite sheets when used alone as a gasket have problems in that the strength of the gasket is weak. The gasket material is prepared by arranging a flexible graphite sheet obtained by cold-working graphite commonly known as expanded graphite, on both sides of a metal net and then press-adhering the graphite to the metal net.
It is an object of the present invention to provided flexible graphite laminates suitable for use as gaskets having excellent resistance to interlaminar leakage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide flexible graphite gaskets comprising a polymer resin coated cloth disposed and bonded between two sheets of flexible graphite material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a flexible graphite gasket comprising a polytetrafluroethylene coated woven fiber glass cloth disposed and so bonded between two sheets of flexible graphite material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing flexible graphite laminates comprising a polymer resin coated cloth disposed and bonded between two sheets of flexible graphite material.
Additional objects of the invention will become evident from the description that follows.